PUBLISHED 'WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY JOHN FENNO, No. 69, HIGH STREET, BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD STREETS, PHILADELPHIA, [No. 82, of Vol. ll.] Wednesday, February 9, 1 791. LONDON, December 3. BY a letter from Bonavifta, dated the 22(1 of July, 1 790, we arc informed that the MeUVs. Braitliwaites, with their small ships company, have had a very severe engagement with five pi rate vedels, who came to oppose them in reco vering the property loft in the Hartwell Ealt- Indiaman. The force of the pirates consisted of t wo schoon ers, mounting ten guns each ; three sloops, mount ing five guns each, and one cohorn : that of the English, was the sloop Endeavor, of 37 tons bur then, mounting 2 fix pounders, 2 two pounders, and 1 cohorn, besides small arms, and the crew consisted of nine leamen andMeflrs. Braithwaites. After a close action of two glafles, the pirates fbeered off different courses, and were pursued tor two hours: but the Endeavor having been long at sea, was very foul, and could not come up with them. The English veflel received sundry Ihot thro' her fides and fails, and the tiller rope was Ihot away ; but we are happy to add, that none of the crew were either killed or wounded* It has been frequently aflerted by political writers, that the favorite Minister of William 111. was the firfl who planned out a scheme of a National Funded Debt, in order to carry 011 the Continental wars in Flanders againlt Louis XIV. in conjunction with the Auftriar.s ami Dutch, to secure the allegiance of the people. The example was followed immediately after by several other States. From the late investigation, however, of the French Aflembly, we find, that their public debt commenced so early as the reign of Francis I. which has been accumulating ever since. That Prince involved his country in very expensive wars, and was himfelf takan pri soner at the famous battle of Pavia in Italy, and Kept in thaTlituation for a considerable time, at the Court of Charles V. Emperor of Germany ; and King of Spain. Sir John Sinclair calculates, that the money annually paid by the people of Great-Britain for public purpofes(including the poor rates) amounts to the amazing sum of 23,725,5591. and the sup plies expended since the Revolution have been upwards of athoufand millions Jterling, in the comparatively fbort period of one hundred years. The British trade has arrived ac that acme of extent, beyond which it appears impossible al inoft to strain it. How long lucli an enviable Hate of superiority can, in the nature of human occurrences, exist, it may be rash to calculate ; British manufactures, however, begin now to be eftabli/hed in other countries, and it is found that the taxes in Great-Britain amount to four pence in the fhillingou labour. There are to be added to this the jealousy of other powers in Eu rope of their trade, the difinclinatioti to renew treaties of commerce, and that concealed refent nent which operates when compelled to do so— all those circumstances (arguing from long ex perience) seem like latent feeds of deftruiftion or diminution of a commerce which is at present the most flourilliing in the universe. In the year 1739, Capt. Jenkins was comman der of one of those veil'els which had been board ed by the Spanish GuardaCoaftas. This (hip was rummaged on pretence of searching for contra band commodities ; but finding nothing that might juftify their search, they insulted Jenkins in the mod abulive language, they tore off one ofiiisears, wounded him in several places, and tortured him with the moil (hocking cruelties; they ordered him to carry his ear to the King, and to tell him that they would serve him in the fame manner if they had the opportunity. The hold fearnan was examined at the bar of the House of Commons. When his ear was produced, he •was interrogated by a Member, what he thought when he was in the hands of those barbarians ? to which he replied, that he recommended his foul to God, and his cause to his country. This noble reply, the fight of his ear, his detail of his fufferings, and the indignities offered to the Sove reign, threw the House into a flame ; this brave man's wrongs filled the Members of the opposi tion with indignation, and 011 the 10th of July, 1739. orders were given for making reprisals on the Spaniards. It is said.'that the National Afl'embly of France is now preparing to examine the foundations of the edifice, which it has been so long and so in dustriously employed ineretfting. Fromthenum ter of architects who have had the management of the building, it is expected that the following r.quifites will be wanting : Unity of defign,exa(ft symmetry, elegance ornamenting strength, and durability ol materials. From the discordance of the builders, and the confufion of tongues which have so frequently been observed in the railing of this fabi ic, the enemies of the architects have presumed to call it Babtl. The Grecian and Roman models they havede fpifed ; the modern improvements they liavedif regarded ; their stile is entirely novel, aud their materials fbfc and crumbling uiorfels for the tooih of time His Holiness the Pope is the very reverse of some of his predeceflors. Some of them made nothing of trampling on crowns and on the heads which wore them ; he, on the contrary, fufFers crowned heads to finite hiin on one cheek, ex pelling to be struck 011 the other. Inltead of fulminating cnrfesagainfl rebellions fubjeds, he kindly admonithes them ; invites them, molt tenderly and affectionately, to return to their duty, and, in the true fimplicjty of child ifli innocence, weeps bitterly over their tranf grefiions. The golden age is again returning, Primitive fiinphcity will triumph over pride, ambition and bigotry ; and the Pope of Rome will, in a fliort time, be elected and consecrated by his flock ; between whom and himfelf the fame amiable re lation will be eflablifhed, as exiits between a fliepherd and his (heep The church lands in France find a better sale than could have been expeded, as from the com parative low price at which they are disposed of, there are plenty of bidders for them. The Dutch have been conliderable purchasers. Anecdote of Lord Chatham. SOME this Nobleman's refiguation of all his employments, a petition was sent from the city to his Majelly, humbly requeuing an im mediate difmilfion of several of his Ministers.— The reply as might reafotiably be supposed, to so audacious a solicitation, conlilted in a plain nega tive.—The petitioners were told, that their de mand was an imputation against the Royal abili ties and penetration, as if he wanted sagacity to perceive when he was faithfully and ably served —In the enfuitig felfion of Parliament the Earl of Chatham made a motion, that an humble address be presented to his Majesty, requeuing that he would be graciously pleased to discover to the House the person under whose influence he had returned such a reply to so loyal a par of his fub jedts.—But, fays his Lordthip, " This motion of mine will certainly l>e negatived. — 1 can antici pate rejection in the aipects of minillers.—How then fliall I come at the information 1 contend for .' Was it you ?—or you I" (addressing himfelf to thofs vioQ liable to fifpicion) " Will nobody re ply > —Let me then fee if countenances will be tray. —The face has been known to be the index of crimiiialry."—He then directed his eye of fire to every Miuifter in the aflembly, and fixing it with all its collected force at lalt upon a great Law Lord*, exclaimed, "Ah! metbinks J fie Fe lix tremble !"—lt is said, that such was the irre futable efFeifl of the united power of this slates man's person, manner, and eloquence, that even one of the greatest men that ever adorned Great- Britain, was on this occalion daunted into a tem porary fear, by this bold, though vague imputa tion. *Lord Mansfield. FROM THE (HARTIORD) AMERICAN MERCURY. THE PROMPTER, Every one to his notion "Aj'J'OST certainly; and the Prompter to his i.VjL notion of course. If a man is a little odd in his -way, as we vulgarly phrase it, or what the French call outre, his friends fay he is a notional creature, or full of notions. And where is the man or woman living, that is not full of notions ? Even Congress have their notions. One of the moll diltinguifhed fpouters in that honorable body will insist upon it that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is next in rank to the I resident. This man is certainly a notional creature ; but every one to his notion. Others have contended warmly that their relidence ought to be fixed in the woods about Connegocheque ; but it is belt to remove thither by little and ititle. Is not this a notion ? 733 t(s 0p o [Whole No. i 86.] The legislature of Maflachufetts, some vearg ago, took it into their heads to kill the profellion of Law by a queer act; but the attempt failed people would itill go to lawyers, and lawyers would live, while people would employ them. But the General Court was full of notions. Let lawyers multiply till a famine of bufinels comes upon them, and then they will die like Egyptian frogs. A neighbour of mine, who is a full grown man, aflerts that the furfaceof the ocean is higher than the land, and that by a constant miraculous re- Itraint of the Almighty, tlie water is kept from overflowing the earth. His opinion is founded on those words of scripture, the bounds are ft. This man is full of notions. Don't laugh at my neighbour, gentle reader ; for I'll bet ten to one, that in some other particular, thou art just as no tional thyfelf. Love is'the mofl notional passion ; not except ing ambition and fuperltition. I once knew a woman, who had a very amiable daughter, de clare it was monfirous indelicate for a young lady to love a man. She might love an elegant house, a carriage and even money ; but to love a man s person was ihocking. But every one to her notion. When I was a young man, I knew an attorney who was attached to what is called family; that is, whose family, by good luck, had flripped off* their woollen ftiirts and checked aprons, just one generation before, and kept them off, till their companions who had afl'ociatecl with them in their woollen dress, were mostly dead. The attorney had not wore linen fliirts lo long by ten years as this family ; arid yet had the afl'urance to fall in love with one of the daughrers. The man how ever did not meet with cold looks from the daugh ter—but the parents walked a tip-toe at the af front offered their family. The daughter was no tional as well as the parents —they intended to have their notion, hue she had her's—and a very good notion it was, for a more liappy couple does not exist. But the queerest of all notions is, that parents will not permit a daughter, no not even a son, to love for thetnfelves. 1 know a widow with a fa- mily of likely daughters, who insists upon it that her daughters do not know how to love for them felves—lhe therefore means to love for them. She is a queer woman, and a notional creature ; but every one to his notion. CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FRIDAY, Jan. 21. THE bill laying duties on distilled fpirits,un der consideration. Mr. Jackson proposed an amendment, by add* ing a clause to prevent Infpedtors, or any officers under them, from interfering, either directly, or indire<ftly, in elections, further than giving theif own votes, on penalty of forfeiting their offices.—This being seconded— Mr. Sherman said he fltould propose an addition to the amendment, and that was to extend the prohibition to every other person whatever : He supposed that to praiftife the arts of electioneer ing would be as criminal in persons in general, as in the officers of the revenue ; but if any provi sion is neceflary in the cafe, he thought it might be made in some other bill. Mr. Livermore approved the motion : These of ficers said he, will hold their places under the go vernment—and from the duties afligsed them, will acquire such a knowledge of persons and characters, as will give them great advantages, and enable them to influence in elections to a great degree: He thought the proposition im portant, and merited the attention of the house. Mr. Vining observed, that the motion went to illsfranchife a great number of citizens of the rights of fufFrage : It appeared to him also, to be unconftitutiorial, as it will deprive them of speak ing and writing their minds—a right, of which no law can divclt them : He offered some obser vations on the eligibility of the duty now com-'
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers